Tokyo residents may someday see regular drone patrols over urban skies thanks to a recent pilot program by Japanese drone provider Terra Drone. On Thursday, the company showcased a test mission for real estate giant Mitsubishi Estate. The flight demonstrated surveillance and logistics capabilities while flying over a busy, dense cityscape. Patrolling autonomously over … [Read more...] about Terra Drone Tests Urban Patrol Aircraft Over Tokyo Business District
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Drink Droning Outlawed in Japan
Japanese politicians have taken steps to enforce a more responsible culture among drone pilots with a blanket ban on droning under the influence of alcohol. New laws passed this week will see pilots caught drunk behind the controls facing up to a year in prison. Drunk pilots flying a drone that weighs more than 200 grams (seven ounces) could also be hit with a fine of up to … [Read more...] about Drink Droning Outlawed in Japan
Tokyo Researchers’ Dragon Drone Can Shape-shift on the Fly
Researchers at the University of Tokyo's JSK Lab have developed a modular flying drone capable of adapting its shape to suit its environment. It's called DRAGON, which conveniently stands for Dual-rotor embedded multilink Robot with the Ability of multi-deGree-of-freedom aerial transformatiON. DRAGON is powered by ducted fans that can adapt on the fly to form whatever shape … [Read more...] about Tokyo Researchers’ Dragon Drone Can Shape-shift on the Fly
Japan Plans Drone Delivery for the Olympics
Japan plans to use drone delivery to serve "depopulated areas" by 2018, and to offer drone delivery in Tokyo by the time the 2020 Olympic games are held there, the Japan Times reports. A source from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration says that the Japanese government is working quickly to implement drone delivery to rural and depopulated areas of Japan, such as small … [Read more...] about Japan Plans Drone Delivery for the Olympics
Tokyo Drone Squad to Patrol National Marathon
In what is being hailed as the nation’s first police drone deployment over a major sporting event, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department announced Saturday that it will send up a squadron of patrol UAVs at the Tokyo Marathon at the end of the month. According to the Tokyo Times, the drones will be tasked with both surveillance and anti-drone patrol to bolster the 90 … [Read more...] about Tokyo Drone Squad to Patrol National Marathon
